Tag: punk

Posted on

What You Can Do After Charlottesville

The neo-Nazi and white supremacist riots in Charlottesville, VA happened this last weekend. You cannot deny it no matter how many anti-Antifa posts you see (which, thanks to Snopes, we know those anti-Antifa posts are fabricated). You also cannot deny it no matter how many times you say “but I have a black (insert indirect personal connection here).”

Charlottesville is a culmination of many forces, some brewing over the last 60 years, some brewing over the last 8 months. But it happened, and now we are here.

It’s ok to be angry. It’s ok to be a little (or very) scared.

Do not let those emotions change who you are. You are more than anger and fear.

Fear is a luxury we cannot afford anymore.

Now is the time to take a stand and do the right things. And believe it or not, you (the United States citizen) have the ability to do something to make a difference.

Here’s a short list of things you can do: Continue reading “What You Can Do After Charlottesville”

Posted on

The Callback Kids – An Original Song

I was trimming my mini-comics and mini-sketchbooks the other day and had the idea to turn the camera on while I did that. That way you can see a time lapse of how I prepare my mini-comics AND listen to a song I made a while ago, called “The Callback Kids.”

I used to play Taiko when I was in college, as part of the on-campus group Hayabusa Taiko. I had taken music lessons before Taiko, like guitar, flute, and clarinet, but nothing stuck with me more than Taiko.

If you like what you hear, and want to hear more Taiko-inspired songs, please let me know in the comments below.

Thanks for watching!

You. Are. Awesome.

Posted on

An Open Letter to the American People

Dear Reader,

I’m writing this open letter to unfurl some things that have been on my mind for the last week. I hope you find something in this that resonates with you and helps to keep you going.

First, things are going to get better. This will sound unbelievable, especially in this new and uncertain time where Nazis are coming out of the ash pile, Betsy DeVos is destined to ruin public education, and Trump is calling any judge who opposes his Muslim ban, essentially, an unpatriotic American. But things will get better. In some ways, things are already better. Continue reading “An Open Letter to the American People”

Posted on

How I Grew Into Punk

kelcid self portrait punk portrait sketch

It started all the way back in high school.

Stick with me a second.

Throughout middle school I mostly listened to metal, so it wasn’t until high school that I began to branch out from that genre into others. High school, for instance, gave me a healthy appreciation of hip hop and alternative rock.

In high school the punk I heard was largely pop punk and whatever was popular at Hot Topic at the time – which was YellowCard, Blink 182, and Coheed & Cambria when I came on the scene.

However, I DID like the visual aesthetic of punk. One of my classmates, let’s call him Pete, was a hard core punk and drew album art for bands. Really grotesque stuff, like fat pimpled babies with extra limbs. That made me more aware of art outside of Disney and manga, that’s for sure.

I was intrigued. Eventually I hitched a ride to the Ohio Governor’s Youth Art Exhibition with one of the friends of Pete on a trip to Columbus (our work was in the first round of judging). Well he misread the directions and we ended up in Short North, the artsy district of the city. And there, we stopped at a magnificent record store, called (I shit you not) Magnolia Thunderpussy. Continue reading “How I Grew Into Punk”

Posted on

Extra Clothespins: A New Podcast

extra clothespins podcast icons

I’m getting really tired of not having all the Congressional news in one place, y’all. So I’m taking it upon myself to do my best and bring that to you.

Introducing Extra Clothespins – the short-form podcast about news that ACTUALLY matters.

This podcast aims to bring attention to what bills Congress is talking about, protests that are organizing and happening, and how you can contact your Representatives and Senators about the relevant issues of the day.

All of this is available to listen to, for free, at the Extra Clothespins blog.

(It’s called Extra Clothespins because I’m starting another podcast with my buddy Sean, called Clothespins & Hand Grenades – it’s a punk radio show podcast that also features rant segments, congressional news segments, and LOTS of punk, old and new. Mostly old. It’s not live yet, but when it is, I’ll feature it in a separate post).

Check out the Extra Clothespins show, and if you like it, share it!

Thank you for reading and listening.

You. Are. Awesome.